Casual Video Ideas

Over the past however many months, we've been playing around with the concept of incorporating video into our workflow at the studio.
We definitely believe that the concept of motion will surely incorporate itself into our business, we're looking to see how we may use it in different fashions to encompass what we do.
Hope you enjoy this little videos we've made...

Local Talent

We recently worked with a great new client out of Eugene, Oregon.
They are Xylem Clothing, an organic manufacturer of beautiful women's clothes.
We had a great shoot with some outstanding models doing what we love.
It couldn't have been better if we tried.
We're already looking forward to working with them again soon.
You can see the results here

Christmas Squirrel

So, in addition to doing legitimate work around the studio, we always make time to photograph our unique and interesting gifts, especially ones given with the thought of photography in mind.
A member of our site, Chad Boutin, has such an affinity for taxidermy that it borders on obsessive...
So, in the spirit of giving, we found the most amazing taxidermy grey squirrel out of Canada that was already prepared for the holidays.

Oh, the holiday season is bearing down upon us...

So, I'm in the studio this morning working on post-production, as usual, and an email shows up from one of our clients inviting me to partake of stocking stuffers for all my family and friends. just as any consumer would, I open the email to find a whole slurry of our images in an email sent out to tens of thousands of people.
Somehow, it's gratifying to see our work used and enjoyed by millions, even if it isn't helping humanity directly, at least people are getting something pretty to look at.

Still going...

So, after eight weeks of pretty much non-stop shooting (with a few days of rest thrown in for travel), we're still moving along in our product photography for the holiday season.
I mentioned earlier that we had done a lifestyle shoot out at Bybee Howell Park on Sauvie Island. Well, one of the images that we produced got selected for a the email campaign for the Hilfiger Kids Fall Campaign.

This isn't the first time for us... no, we're experienced in this sort of fame and recognition...

Just kidding... But it's nice to see it when our work gets sent along to thousands of people.

As we continue on, I'm attempting to work on our website and keeping up with things such as LinkedIn and Facebook.

Further exploration into "Lifestyle"

In an effort to continue photographing different work, different ideas, and different people - we recently did some more "lifestyle" images for Hilfiger's Fall Kids line.

We ventured in a new direction for this foray, utilizing studio lighting and creating a more dramatic and moody feeling for the work.

We worked with talent from both Puddletown and Sports Unlimited, both agencies providing us with outstanding young models to work with and a pleasure to have in the studio.

As we continue to work to develop new and different strategies on how we might approach the concept, it's always interesting to see what the result is.

What is lifestyle?

Wikipedia defines lifestyle as "A lifestyle is a characteristic bundle of behaviors that makes sense to both others and oneself in a given time and place, including social relations, consumption, entertainment, and dress."
Then what does it mean to do lifestyle photography?
Is it that we attempt to mimic the lifestyle we have or that we strive to attain?
I'm sure someone smarter than myself has tackled or will tackle this...
Until then, you're welcome to check out some new "lifestyle" imagery we created last weekend.

Ride a Dark Horse into the sunset...

Recently, we were asked by the nice people over at Portland State University to come to photograph an event.
Being the socially out of touch people that we are (working all the time, getting things accomplished, spending time with our loved ones), we don't seem to get out in the world too often.
The event being requested was the gifting of the entire Dark Horse Comics library to the PSU Library for "research". While i believe that research may be one component, who wouldn't want the entire current and future collection of one of the most amazing comics companies at your disposal. I see hours, if not weeks, wasted trolling through some of the most amazing artwork created to date.
Anyway, the history of comics, explained by Mike Richardson, was alone worth the time and effort to be there and participate.
Here is a link to the article in the Vanguard.
You can see some of our images here.

it's all about the rainboots...

So, it's been a busy few weeks in the studio, with hardly a day to rest and recuperate between shooting days...

Our poor wardrobe stylist has only made it home to Seattle for three days in the past three weeks!

In the midst of all the lovely chaos, we found the time to get outside on a beautiful Monday afternoon and do some shooting

Last week, we did another lifestyle shoot for the Tommy Hilfiger Kids line for Fall 2008, similar to the one a few months ago, that some of you may remember...

This time, we shot out at Bybee Howell Park on Sauvie Island.

It turned out to be another outstanding adventure for us and we got some amazing images out of it.

Here is an abbreviated sample of our idea and the images we created from it.

We used the amazing Hunter rainboots in a kaleidoscope of colors on all the kids to bring it together for us.

Photos for a cause

Recently, one of our photographers, Chad Boutin, did a photography project working with the Oregon Special Olympics. The event was the Special Olympics Youth Games held here in Portland, Oregon. They had in attendance as special guests, Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Johnson and Portland Trailblazer Channing Frye
You can see some of Chad's amazing images here.

Oh, to travel with impunity...

When i finally decide to pack it in for an extended period of time, at least I know what camera I'll be taking with me to document the adventure.
Leica has unveiled it's new M8.2, which would be an amazing camera to take everywhere...

Worldwide Exposure

So, Tommy Hilfiger used one of our lifestyle shots for their new email promotion for their new Tommy Hilfiger Kids line. If you're familiar with the Bulb family, you might recognize three of the children as part of the family.
We're happy to be continuing to work with Hilfiger in so many different capacities. This week, we're photographing the Tommy Hilfiger Intimates Collection here in the studio. We continue to work with them on their woven shirts, accessories, and more of the children's apparel.

Home really is where the heart is...

We did a portrait today for the Heart Gallery of Oregon.
It's been a project that we've been involved in for the last two years, photographing the spirit and personality of children awaiting adoption.
It's such an amazing project and, as photographers, we feel privileged to be involved with it.
we'd love to show you what we did but since these children are protected by the state, it's not a possibility...
I know for me, it reinstates my gratitude and allows me to give back what I've been given.
If you'd like to know more about the project and get involved, please check out their website.

Portland really is a bicycle town...

So, the new President of Portland State University, Wim Wiewel, rode his bike into work for his first day, accompanied by our new Mayor-Elect, Sam Adams, and Bulb Studio was there for the excitement!
Actually, we were hired by the university to attend and document the festivities.
But, none the less, we were there and have the photographs to prove it!
It was a great event, especially considering that classes aren't in session for another month.
Lots of staff, teachers, and students were in hand at the reception to welcome him and his lovely wife.
You can check out more about the story at the Portland Tribune's website.

Summertime excitement

It's been a casual summer around the studio...

Lots of good things happening, including doing our best to absolutely enjoy the summertime weather! I certainly know that none of us want the beautiful warm days and balmy nights to end quite yet... There haven't quite been enough long days on the river or long nights on the patio to willingly let go of the season quite yet.

The Portland rain has caught up to us this week though, a perfect time to be busy little beavers, working on yet another round of product photography for the Fall.

We recently did a lifestyle shoot for Hilfiger Kids and had an amazing time doing so.

Their new website redesign went live last night with our photography and even some members of the Bulb family as models!
You can check it out here, here, and here.
Yet another aspect of our plan for total domination!

We'll be working on some new lifestyle images in the next few weeks, please be sure to check back and see how we are making the world a little more fun!

Oh, to be a kid again...

We recently did a lifestyle shoot for Tommy Hilfiger for the release of their children's line for the fall.
It was a resounding success, with everyone involved doing an outstanding job and the images were amazing!
We used some of the studio children, children of a dear friend, and a young model that we had worked with in the past. Connor is the older boy, he's currently represented by MTG.
We even included Popper, a turtle that we were taking care of for a friend while he was away in Hawaii.
See what happens, you leave town and we make your pet a celebrity!

katelynn test

As a thanks for saving our cheese at the sporthill shoot after almost getting rained out, Katelynn shot a look for her portfolio... see, she really doesnt have crossed eyes...

Sporthill

One of our oldest clients Sporthill performance athletic wear is located and has been located in Eugene since its inception.

Jim Hill owner of Sporthill asked us to produce an "iconic" Eugene location shoot. Eugene is well known for its track and field and friendly running atmosphere but mor importantly the Olympic Trials are coming. So we loaded up the truck and did a little sightseeing in good old Eugene.

Pre's Trail



Autzen Stadium



Defazio Pedestrian/bike bridge



Hendricks Park




Hayward Field



Mac Court



Of course we had to shoot in studio after being rained out, and who came to our rescue?

Katelynn... who in real life looks nothing like this...

dressed to kill

A local designer in Eugene Oregon "Dressed to Kill" designs (now known as revival) wanted to shoot during a quick jaunt to Oregon's most infamous earth friendly locale.

Megan, our stylish and talented stylist agreed to play in the studio for a few hours. Also attending was Tiara, a friend and model from Los Angeles and Ally, our second model.

I wanted to make sure these shots would have the ability to cross over between "look book" and "editorial". I lit clean and tried to have some sort of symmetry between each look. Knowing the client would go "direct to web" with no clipping or post I kept the background uniform for each shot.



It was a seamless shoot thanks to our talent and stylists, we were able to shoot the entire look book in a half day.

And we had a few guest appearances...



The underage model in the last frame is Zander... one of the studios newest additions.. feet like aquaman.. were hoping hes a Portland Trailblazer in a few years...

Art is subjective...

One of my favourite artists has always been Banksy
His work has been subtle in the eyes of the world but transformative for those who view it.
Here are a few pieces that i have borrowed from his site that I find amazing.
I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Denim is the new silk...

We recently completed a large shoot for one of our clients, photographing their denim line for Spring/Summer 2008.

The crew was amazing and put so much work into making it come off without a hitch. We shot 260+ pieces in what seemed like no time at all.

Our interns. Kerri & Pualani, always have a way of making the days go a little smoother with their great attitude and enthusiasm.

Our models were amazing to work with, you know who you are, and thank you so much...

We've come to understand that a good attitude and a robust sense of humor is necessary if and/or when you're going to work in the studio or on location with us.

As an intern i was interviewing recently said, "You guys look like you know how to work hard and play hard", I guess that sums it up pretty well...

You're welcome to check out the outtakes from our shoot here.

Elvis as an Astronaut?

I recently got a new piece of art from one of my favorite Portland artists named Francisco Garcia.
I got it as a housewarming gift for my wife since she loved it when she originally saw it at Random Order Coffeehouse

It's a digital illustration of Elvis in an astronaut helmet. Originally, it was done as a painting over the digital illustration, but i get the original done in a 40" square print for my media room.

As I was putting this together, i also realized that one of the photographs I'd done for Random Order was on their homepage, such a warm and cozy feeling, like fresh pie...

everyday life

On a personal note, I'm a huge fan of incredible pieces designed for everyday life.
My friends over at Entermodal make the most amazing hand-crafted messenger bags right here in Portland. I have a Belgian saddle leather messenger bag they had as a sample that i was lucky enough to acquire from them.
The challenge I've had is to find an adequate, yet sophisticated, laptop sleeve that would work to encase the necessary cargo inside the bag. My search ended yesterday with the discovery of Working Class Heroes, an absolutely beautiful company out of Europe that makes laptop cases out of felt and leather.

The Butterfly Effect

How do we go about affecting change in the world we live in?
I feel so much gratitude for the things i have in my life, now is my time to share with others.
One recent step I've taken is to support Kiva, a small micro-finance project that allows individuals to loan money to people throughout the world.

Below is an example of how someone in need is able to benefit from the ability for us to effect change on our planet.

Portrait is such a dirty word...

Whenever I talk to people about doing thier portrait, the response I seem to get from people is so interesting...
I'm not sure what people's experiences are, whether they envision the corporate photo factories at the mall or have had some horrific experience in front of the camera.
We recently shot an executive portrait for the Public Affairs Manager of The Oregon Department of Education, we had a fabulous time!
She came to the studio and got pampered by Ali Megan, our Make-Up Artist, and we had an amazing time doing a quick portrait for her because she was featured in the Portland Business Journal's 40 under 40.
Congratulations to Jennifer for all her hard work, recognition is nice once in a while, isn't it?

Spring is in the air, almost...

After just photographing flip-flops, sandals, and espadrilles for a client last week, we're already itching for Spring around here.

We experiencing a phenomena called the February fake-out right now, where the weather warms up to around 60 degrees and it's beginning to feel like Spring. Those in the know remember that the rain and cold is not far behind, for at least a little while.

We'll be out enjoying as much as possible for as long as it lasts.

Remember to smell the flowers and let your feet feel the green grass...

Kirsten & Rocky Forever

We did another shoot last Saturday for one of our favorite clients out of NYC.
It was a good time working with Rocky from Q6 and Kirsten from TMC.
You can check out some of the silliness of the crew. Needless to say, we're not too serious around here most of the time but we definitely get the job done!

Heart & Wishes

Our first promotional piece is ready to go and it's always a bit nerve wracking to put ourselves out into the big world, but we're big kids and ready to shine...

If you get our new promotional piece in your in-box and wonder who in the owrld is contacting you, we're just some simple kids with a big dream and someone you've probably run into.

Anyhow, we hope it brings a smile to your face!

Cheers...

Amazing Will.I.Am video for Barak Obama

The day of a thousand models (or over 100 models...)

We did a casting call last Saturday for one of our clients that wants to begin shooting product on model here in the Northwest.

We were expecting around 40 to 50 models based on our confirmations and had around 130 models show up in a 2.5 hour period, it was a bit chaotic...

We were tasked with finding the absolutly best model that the NW has to offer.

It's a rough job but, hey, someone's gotta do it.

Everyone was so patient and nice, no one complained out loud about having to stand around for so long.

We contacted all the agencies and they sent over some amazing talent for us to meet and chat with.

We had our intern shooting the test shots and she did an amazing job, tanks so much for all your work (You know who you are). We even had a studio groupie trying to pick up on both the guys and girls!

If you'd like to see some of the random outtakes that were shot throughout the morning, click here

Model tests, Headshots and the like..

Shooting a few actors and models over the weekend.

October is an actress with arthouse literary. Kaili Canfield a dear friend and well respected talent agent locally to Portland specifically asked us to produce headshots that showed October's real personality.

Tatiana is represented by Actors in Action.

And lastly Eve with Ryan Artist... A little lifestyle.

Human Nature...

People make mistakes, it seems like I do so more than I'd like to admit today...
We gave out cards yesterday at a casting call we hosted and it seems that the email address was incorrect. I will reluctantly admit that was my fault for not being more persistent in reading over the details before passing them along.
For those of you that have tried to contact us, hello@bulbstudio.com is the correct address and please don't hesitate to drop us a line whenever you feel like it.

Tallyho,

The Bulb Crew

Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life.
~Sophia Loren

Sweet Hearts...

Our new promotional piece for Bulb is finally in a state for consumption...
We wanted to base our promotional pieces on assorted non-denominational holidays throughout the year so that we could have a reason to communicate with our current and potential clients.

The Farinaz in all of us...

Today was our editorial shoot on the quick. Our client needed 20 separate editorial shots for a women's shirt line. The print deadline was fast approaching so we kicked the tires and lit the fires. Megan our many faceted make-up, hair and wardrobe stylist/creative director put together 4 looks that would translate into one cohesive image bank for a commercial look book and publication editorial. Now shooting a look book is one thing, shooting editorially is another, but Megan and I sat down and put together an idea that could facilitate both needs.
We sourced a vintage parachute to create our silk cave to shoot within and decided based on some client go-by's that gunning colored light into the rear surfaces of the silk would provide a dreamy feel. We were going for a pastel mood with an editorial light.

Shooting editorially is the photographers dream, to have the ability to crop with emotion and move with the subject is my idea of heaven, shooting for knock outs or web is fine and you can add your thumbprint to most projects you do. But when a client gives you the creative reigns to really create a vision it makes the shoot a challenge, a good challenge.
Even though our hands were tied as to lighting and set changes we felt we produced a very diverse campaign while sticking to the need for a prolific shot list.

"Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be..."

One of the best things about shooting Kids is their Honesty.

We shot a group of young people today that really proved to be a very talented crew! We shot 4 kids all lifestyle oriented for portfolio and marketing purposes.
It's always a treat to work with professional "please and thank you" kids. So many times working with kids can be exhausting, the old rule is "you shoot in their world, not yours...". Everyone of the kids we shot were on time, professional, polite and gosh darn it, just good looking!
We kept a story line with all the shoots, allowing each shoot blend in with the next. It's cold this time of the year so we didn't have the option of venturing outside too much, so we kept it simple, 4 lighting sets for 4 kids. Each talent shot in each set and this produced a story that flowed through the entire shoot.
Here are a few images that we think stand out from the entire day.. We enjoy shooting kids simply, show their expressions and personality. Its too easy to fall into the "portrait" mentality when shooting kids, so we talk with them while we shoot, joke around and look for those "happy accidents" that happen when you let the youngsters let loose!

Saving the world, one sip at a time...

I found this amazing charity today that helps to supply clean water to developing countries .
Their statement is-
charity: water funds projects that include the installation and rehabilitation of freshwater systems, as well as the formation and training of local water committees who are empowered to maintain the systems, and promote better sanitation and hygiene for the community. charity: water projects seek to maximize the overall improvement in quality of life that comes with clean safe water.
I'm constantly amazing by how each person can make a difference on the other side of the world, amazing...

A shirt for every occasion...

As some of you know, we've been working with Tommy Hilfiger for months now, doing product photography for their eCommerce site.
It's been a great time, working with the creative team out of NYC, being able to create a new look and strategic branding for their new direction in web sales. We photographed 42 shirts for them this week with our stylist friend, Ally Jones.